Title: Love and Memory
Pairing: Leon/Sora/Cloud
Summary: Sora gets sent to the Coliseum where he meets up with a few old friends. The only problem is that they don't remember him.
Disclaimer: I am not in any way affiliated with Square Enix or Disney. I do not own Kingdom Hearts or any of the characters therein.

Chapter 1

Sora cried out when his body hit the solid ground of the Coliseum. He heard the Keyblade clatter onto the stone a few feet from him but didn't bother calling it back. He wasn't supposed to be here! This was wrong. He should be with Donald and Goofy. There was still work to be done!

"No…" He whispered. "It's not supposed to be this way. Riku…Kairi. My promise…."

There was nothing Sora could do though. Kairi was on Destiny Islands and Riku was still trapped in the darkness. Meanwhile Sora was here, at the Coliseum. The doors between worlds were closed now and there was no way he would be able to get back so he decided that he might as well pick himself up and find Hercules before Hades found him. Sora quickly swiped his arm across his eyes to clear out any wetness that remained and called the Keyblade to his hand. He figured that he had better be on his guard. There was no telling what was lurking around the Coliseum, especially at night. This was a dangerous place even without the heartless around.

Sora looked everywhere for Herc or Phil but they couldn't be found. What he did find though was a few rooms filled with dusty and broken training stuff that looked as if they hadn't been entered in a long time. He decided that his best bet would be to stay in one of those for now. He picked the one with the least equipment in it and folded up a training mat until all 7 sections were creased into one rectangle and laid down on it, prepared to sleep. Even though he had been in worse situations it took all he had not to start crying again.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The next day Sora felt rumpled and dirty. He didn't feel too awful though because he was used to sleeping in stranger places and positions. He brushed himself off as best he could and went again in search of Phil. He tried to leave small marks along the winding halls of the inner Coliseum so that he would be able to find his way back to the equipment rooms. He found that he was unsuccessful though. He had nothing to leave a trace with that wouldn't leave a mark so big that other people would notice it too. Instead he counted hallways and turns, hoping that it would help his memory some and resolved that if he had to remain staying in the equipment room then he would have to leave for it early so that he would have time to stumble across it again if worst came to worst.

When he reached the outer chamber there was already a match on. He looked up at the sun to see that it was only a little before noon. He had slept in a lot longer than he had at first thought. He looked back to the contestants and realized that he didn't recognize either of them. They looked to be just regular fighters from the city engaged in some sort of pride championship. There were several other men on the sidelines waiting and Sora was surprised to note that he did know one of them. Leon was slouched against the wall, loosely gripping his gunblade in one hand and growling at the other contestants, effectively cowing more than half of them. If Sora knew anything about Leon though, that was his plan.

He bounded over to Leon and smiled brightly at him. It faded to nothing though when Leon gave him a confused look in return.

"Do I know you?" he asked coldly.

"What are you talking about Leon? It's me. Sora," Sora asked in a whisper.

"Look kid, I don't know how you know my name, but I most definitely don't know any Sora."

Sora immediately dropped his gaze to the ground, his mouth parted slightly in shock. Why did Leon not recognize him? He didn't look any different than he did before. He didn't sound different and he knew that he wasn't acting any differently. There was something off about the Coliseum. Sora turned away and hurried out to the front, looking for Phil.

"Hey kid, what were you doing inside the Arena area? There's a match on. You could get hurt," Phil said, face creased with worry, as Sora walked out of the Coliseum arena.

"You must be joking Phil. You know I can hold my own in the arena. I beat Cloud didn't I?" Sora said, getting a strange feeling about this whole situation. Something was off. He knew it immediately and he was pretty sure that he knew what it was. Phil didn't remember him.

"Hey, you had better be careful, kid. Telling stories like that might get you in a lot of trouble. I don't think Cloud would like an eight year old telling people that he beat him," the satyr warned.

"My name is Sora and I'm sixteen, not eight. If you're going to belittle me then at least get the age right." Sora knew that he shouldn't talk that way to Phil, but he couldn't help it. In his eyes an old friend was making fun of his battle skills. It was hard to accept that Phil didn't remember him, that Leon didn't remember him. Sora could only assume that Cloud and Hercules would be the same as well.

"I'll see you later Phil," Sora said absently as he walked out of the Coliseum and sat on the entrance steps. He looked out into the entrance to the Underworld and wondered if everything that had happened while he had been here had been forgotten. In this strange world had Cloud still been sent out to destroy Hercules? Had Cerberus been sent out to destroy Cloud? Most importantly though, did whatever was affecting everyone else's memories affect gods? Did Hades remember him and want revenge?

Sora was mulling over these questions and more when Hercules passed by him on the way out of the Underworld. Cloud was following close behind him, talking heatedly. He was still in his normal attire though, complete with the cape, so Sora assumed that he still had the wing. Therefore he had done something that had brought darkness into his heart though what - was a mystery.

Sora watched the two men as they passed, startled when Cloud turned piercing green eyes on him. For a moment it seemed as if there was some recognition, but then it was gone. Sora put his head in his hands and quietly groaned. How was he supposed to live here in a place where nobody knew him? He already knew that if it weren't for Hades then he wouldn't have ever been able to enter a Coliseum fight. Without the Coliseum fights he knew he wouldn't get to meet Cloud and he wouldn't win over Phil enough to let him fight in other matches. Sora had no way to make money, no where to stay that was even remotely stable or secure, and he didn't know anyone enough for them to give him a chance. It was true though that the first time Sora showed up at the Coliseum Phil was right to deny him. He didn't realize it then but he had been very weak. Now though? Now he was strong and had command of several key blades. There was no reason why he should not be allowed to fight and train. He needed the practice. What if the heartless came back or some other threat surfaced? What would he do if he was out of practice? Fail.

Sora quickly made up his mind and jumped up from his seat on the steps. He rushed back inside the walls of the Coliseum and hurried up to Phil. "If you don't think I'm up to the challenge then give me a test. Any test you want that relies on skill and logic, not just brute strength to succeed. Not all warriors have that in ample supply." Sora made sure that he specified, remembering the block that Phil had mistakenly asked him to move the first time he was here. Although Phil didn't mean it as a test that time, Sora didn't want him to get any ideas that would make sure Sora failed.

"Alright kid, fine. Come ask me again tomorrow morning. There isn't a match then and I'll test you out. For now though go and get me eight ethers, 10 hi-potions and 3 tents from the shop up the road. Tell them Phil wants them and they should charge it to my tab."

Sora looked around, bewildered for a second, but hurried off. He was eager and willing to do whatever it took to regain some semblance of a workable life in this place where he was forgotten.